Tag: Anthony Darcy

I previously posted about the murder of Stephen Snyder in Topeka, Kansas, here. At the time I wondered if it was yet another craigslist killing since Snyder bought the house from his alleged killer on craigslist. While the purchase of the house through craigslist has been confirmed, craigslist had nothing to do with the murder.

Recently, an affidavit was made public that detailed what police believe to be the actual motive behind the murder. Mr. Snyder did indeed buy the house 81-year-old Anthony Darcy was living in. Mr. Snyder allowed Darcy to live in the house for two weeks providing Snyder could come to the house when he wanted in order to make preparations for moving in.

On the day before the sale, Darcy presented a lease without the language allowing the buyers to visit the house. The buyers didn’t sign that lease, and Darcy, who wasn’t “happy about them wanting to paint some rooms in the house,” indicated he might back out of the deal, the affidavit said.

But during the sale, Darcy “had not complained” about the buyers visiting the house, the affidavit said.

On the day of the shooting, Snyder approached the house with his 8-year-old son when Darcy is said to have opened fire on Snyder. Darcy was said to have called 911 and told dispatchers he shot Snyder because “he was tired of his (expletive).” Darcy then reportedly placed the gun on the kitchen counter and waited for police.

Even I’m a little shocked at the callousness of Mr. Snyder’s murder. Not only did Darcy murder a man over something so petty as being annoyed over a house visit, but he did it in front of Mr. Snyder’s 8-year-old son, putting the child in potential danger as well. Some may say the prosecution should go easy on Darcy since he’s an 81-year-old man with no criminal record. I disagree. While he may have waited late in life to commit a crime, he committed one of the most heinous crimes one can commit. Because of that he deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long. I’ve been dealing with some personal issues. Nothing salacious, just having a serious bout of depression that I’ll get into at some other date. What caused me to start posting again is that there has been a possible craigslist murder in my new hometown of Capital City, otherwise known as Topeka, Kansas.

On Monday, 81-year-old Anthony Darcy allegedly shot and killed 36-year-old Stephen Snyder. Darcy has no criminal history but is being held on $1 million bond. Topeka has been reeling after a number of shooting homicides have been committed in the city recently. While it’s nowhere near the level of a city like Chicago, the 11 murders that have happened so far this year have been a concern for both police and residents.

Just a little bit more than an hour ago, I was watching the 10:00 PM news broadcast from local station KSNT. While this hasn’t been posted on their website yet, or any other local news site for that matter, they reported Darcy had just sold a house to Snyder on craigslist the other day. Unless I misheard the newscast, Darcy allegedly entered the home and shot Snyder. So far no motive has been discussed. I’ve sent a request to KSNT to make sure I heard correctly but so far I have not received a reply.

While it may not be a ‘craigslist killing’ in the classical sense, I find it suspicious a craigslist transaction happened between the two before one of them was killed. I’ll post more details as they become available and as time allows.